NETBALL AROUND THE WORLD

Former international captain and coach Oberon Pitterson (pictured above) is one of three coaches appointed this week by the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA) to join the coaching staff for the island’s Sunshine Girls coaching staff. Working alongside her will be national Under 21 coach C Lloyd Walker and national Under 16 assistant coach Minetth Reynolds. These three will report to former Australian coach Jill McIntosh, who has been appointed technical director to the JNA, and will work alongside senior coach Connie Francis to provide specific individual coaching to selected players.

Netball Australia has named shooter Kate Beveridge as her country’s captain for the upcoming World Netball Series in Liverpool. Beveridge, 25, has 11 international test caps and narrowly missed out on selection for the Delhi Commonwealth Games. Centre courter Madison Browne has been named as vice captain, with Erin Bell and Amy Steel the other members of the leadership group for the Australian squad of emerging talent that will take part in the three day tournament, which has an average age of 21. Sharelle McMahon and Natalie Von Bertouch, who were captain and vice captain for Australia at the Commonwealth Games, have been rested along with the remaining members of the squad which participated in the Delhi competition.

Meanwhile, South Africa coach Carin Strauss will be without six key players when the Proteas travel to England for the FastNet series later this month. Captain Liezel Wium and Precious Mthembu will miss the competition due to injury, while Zanele Mdodana, Nthabiseng Moabi, Leigh- Ann Zackey and Christine Markgraaf are unable to travel due to work commitments. The news leaves Strauss with only six players from the squad which took part in the Commonwealth Games. The additional spots for the Liverpool tournament will be filled by players from South Africa’s extended national training squad.

The Pakistan Netball Federation has announced that Umama Qadri has been honoured by the country’s Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani with the Prime Minister’s Excellency Award for her performances in international competition. Qadri, a member of the gold medal winning side at the 2010 Pakistan Netball Championships as well as part of Pakistan’s national squad, was shortlisted along with many of the country’s other young sportspeople, and is the first netballer to receive this award. Congratulations to her.